The Parc Zoologique et Forestier (in English: the Zoological Park and Botanic Gardens) opened in 1972. Wikipedia claims it to have over 700 animals of over 130 species. I had posted a few photos in the Gallery which my sister had taken back in about 1990 but they didn't really give much of an idea of what the zoo was like, so I was very interested in visiting the collection when I made a short two-week trip to New Caledonia in August this year. The zoo is situated in the northern part of New Caledonia's small capital city Noumea, on top of a hill which gives good views out over the surrounding countryside and ocean. Few tourists explore this country without a rental car at their disposal, but even if you are without one then the zoo is still readily accessible by taxi, the Noumea Explorer bus, and "Le Petit train" the latter two of which do a circuit of the city for the tourists. If by oneself then the Noumea Explorer bus is the "cheapest" option (1500 Pacific Francs for a day ticket - New Caledonia is not a cheap holiday destination!) but if there are two or more people then a taxi is far more cost-effective. The zoo itself is just 400 Pacific Francs for entry. The zoo is largely a bird park, the only mammals being monkeys, deer and a few farm animals. It is divided into a native area to the left of the entrance and an exotic area to the right, with a small botanic gardens separating them; there are however quite a few random exotics scattered through the native section as well. The exhibits are quite spread out over a largish area. On entry I was told that each half of the zoo would take about 1.5 hours to visit, but I ended up spending 3.5 hours in the native area and 5 hours in the zoo overall, much longer than I had anticipated. Directly behind the entranceway as you come into the zoo is an exhibition building called Maison de la Nature ("House of Nature"), in which was a temporary exhibit about invasive species. It was all in French but, coming from another island nation over-run with introduced pest animals, I got the gist of the displays quite easily. Most were of the poster-on-the-wall variety, but there was also an aquarium in this building for tilapia and red-eared terrapins. The native area of the zoo is called "Vallee des endemiques", where you can "discover the terrestrial biodiversity of New Caledonia and the exceptional richness of the fauna" - or something like that: my French is not excellent! The enthusiasm of the sign is quite warranted however because many of the endemic birds of this island are displayed here. My main reason for coming here was in fact to try and obtain some good photos of the endemic birds because while I had seen most of them in the wild they weren't very accommodating with regards to being photographically documented! This part of the zoo has quite a confusion of paths, making it necessary to keep doubling back and continuously consulting the map to ensure nothing is missed. The first aviary one encounters is a double one housing New Caledonian imperial pigeons on one side and white-throated (metallic) pigeons on the other. The New Caledonian imperial pigeon is reputedly the largest arboreal pigeon in the world (their specific name is goliath) and they certainly are impressive birds. On the other side of the path is a kagu pen. The kagu is a flightless bird rather reminiscent (to me) of a cross between a seagull and a spur-winged plover (Vanellus miles). Its wierd because while being very unusual it also has a sort of "familiar" air to it. Its the national bird of New Caledonia and even non-birding folk hear about it. It is featured on the 1000 Franc note, on business logos, on tourist pamphlets, everywhere, and even the small local kids at the zoo were excitedly calling out "cagou!" when they saw it. I think many people come to the zoo just to see the kagu there. What I didn't realise until I'd done a circuit of the native area and came back to this point was that the kagu pen was actually a walk-through enclosure! In fact it was four walk-through enclosures! How many zoos can say they have a walk-through kagu enclosure?! In the interests of accuracy I should actually say that really only two of the enclosures were open walk-through pens, the third was a pen that could be looked into from the boardwalk of one of the other pens, and the fourth enclosure was a walk-in aviary (when you entered you just stood on a platform in front of the door rather than walking through the whole aviary). This last aviary also held a variety of other local birds including various pigeons and parrots. The Noumea Zoo is very actively involved in a breeding programme for kagu, from which offspring are released into the wild. There are roughly 1000 wild kagu, over half of which inhabit the Riviere Bleue national park. They are threatened mainly by dogs. As I can't speak French and relatively few New Caledonians admit to speaking English, I couldn't ask anyone at the zoo about the breeding programme but one of the signs said that since 1978 they have bred over 100 kagu (and also that the bird has only had legal protection since 1977!!). There were about eight birds on display but I don't know if they have off-display breeding pens as well. Further on from the kagu pens is a very small aviary for a lone striated starling, and then the parakeet aviaries displaying New Caledonian parakeets (Cyanoramphus saissetti, split from the NZ red-crowned kakariki to which they are similar but more yellowish), a pair of horned parakeets, a lone Ouvea horned parakeet, and a couple of individuals of the local subspecies of rainbow lorikeet. I was particularly interested in the Ouvea parakeet, as these are extremely endangered and I didn't have the time to get to the one small island where they live (to the east of New Caledonia). Following on from these were aviaries for green-backed white-eyes, red-throated parrotfinches, cloven-feathered doves, sacred kingfishers, red-bellied fruit-dove, barn owls, and a nice group of Nicobar pigeons - these last birds aren't native to New Caledonia, or even found anywhere nearby, but the sign explains their presence by noting that a related native species (Caloenas canacorum) is known from subfossil bones, having died out soon after human colonisation a few thousand years ago. The path wanders down to a couple of very large ponds (or small lakes, depending on one's point of view) and then you have a choice of three different directions. One path has more aviaries for native birds, as well as the three local fruit bats (the endemic Pteropus ornatus and P. vetulus and the native P. tonganus). The birds here are New Caledonian crow, New Caledonian friarbird and peregrine falcon (which I couldn't see), as well as exotic Java sparrows. The aviaries for the crows and friarbirds were made of heavy green mesh which not only made photography impossible but made even simple viewing extremely difficult. One of the other paths leads past the ponds to a wierd dead-end exotic section, consisting of a budgie aviary, a row of small parrot aviaries (grand eclectus, little corella and yellow-bibbed lory), a reasonably large cage for pig-tailed macaques, and a completely enclosed (fenced-over) pen for Japanese red-crowned cranes. I counted 6 cranes here, the enclosure was pretty large, but there was no point where you could actually approach it to see them - you had to view from a distance. A purple gallinule running across the path reminded me that whilst at the zoo I was also supposed to be trying to find the local subspecies of nankeen night heron that live wild here. So I looked up and sure enough there was one perched in a eucalyptus tree above me. There turned out to be a lot of the herons nesting around the lakes in the bamboo stands. The purple gallinule is a common bird throughout the Old World - in New Caledonia it is called poule sultane which I suppose can be translated as "the chicken who thinks he's a sultan" The third path heads off around the larger lake, at one end of which is a small flock of flamingoes. I counted only eight of them, which I think was the lot, and while my sister's earlier photo shows them loose at the lake now they are confined inside a small fenced-over pen, half in the water and half on land. Like the Japanese cranes there is no approach to the pen - in fact the viewing point is a very long way from the pen, and it did make their presence seem a bit pointless as an exhibit - but given the attitude of a lot of the local Kanak visitors to the animals at the zoo I'd say that's probably for the best. The path continues wandering round the lake margin, passing aviaries for silver pheasants and New Caledonian imperial pigeons, with another dead-end detour with aviaries for great argus, pied imperial pigeons, a pair of wrinkled hornbills, and a group of variously-coloured Indian ringneck parakeets. Round the other side of the lake is a very small and ugly aviary for a hill mynah, a very small aviary for a lone great Indian hornbill, and some very small and ugly aviaries for pheasants (ringneck, Lady Amherst's and Reeves'), before you finally get to the Vivarium which is a row of glass-fronted exhibits for (mainly) native reptiles. These are very interesting of course, mostly being endemic species. Here you can see (or not see, as most are nocturnal) Rhacodactylus leachianus, R. ciliatus, R. sarasinorum, R. auriculatus, Gehyra vorax, Phoboscincus garnieri, the Pacific tree boa (Candoia bibroni), and down the end three exotic species (eastern water dragon, green iguana and radiated tortoise). The terrariums here weren't overly large but they were well furnished and quite attractive. The aviaries in the native section are mostly pretty uninspiring, sometimes quite unattractive and sparsely furnished but others were very well planted, they were usually of an adequate size (some were what I would call quite large, but conversely others seemed very small), but none are what I would consider exceptional. Several aviaries were made of the heavy green mesh I mentioned earlier which was not a good construction choice. The signage was very good, in three languages. In the middle of the zoo, between the native and exotic sections is the "mini farm". I didn't enter here but saw some rusa deer from outside the fence and I understand there are some domestic animals such as goats and rabbits in there. On either side of the farm was an aviary, for the endemic white-bellied goshawk in one and the native whistling kite in the other. Its a bit of a walk through the botanic gardens to the exotic section where the aviaries are randomly dotted about. First up are two very small aviaries, one for a pair of red-and-yellow barbets and the other for Senegal parrots (amusingly called "Perroquet youyou"), then a cluster of parrot aviaries for various macaws and amazons. The sun conure aviary is very nice, probably the nicest in the zoo, with a somewhat odd but interesting glass-sided tunnel going through the middle. Just after these are two average-sized but ugly cages for Geoffroy's spider monkeys and black-capped capuchins, which I suspect are cast-off animals from Australian or New Zealand zoos. There are patas monkeys a bit further on which (according to an old post in one of the Zoochat threads somewhere) came from Taronga Zoo in Australia. The ostriches were nowhere in evidence although the sign on their enclosure warned that they bite (the only animals I didn't see in the zoo were the ostriches and the peregrine falcon). There's another small lake in this part of the zoo, again with an aviary built partly over the water's edge. This nice aviary houses African spoonbills, scarlet ibis, demoiselle cranes and Carolina wood ducks. Next to it is an aviary for sacred ibis, while on the lake shores itself can be seen Eurasian white pelicans and grey-necked crowned cranes. A bit futher on again are aviaries for African grey parrots and peach-faced and Fischer's lovebirds (lovebirds are called "inseperables" in French!!!). Apart for a very randomly-placed aviary for domestic ringneck doves these are the last of the exhibits as the path wanders all the way back to the "mini farm". The exotic section is really sort of odd with a heavy emphasis on African birds (presumably all imported from France) but with everything just sort of scattered here and there about the place with no real cohesion. The macaw aviaries are big fairly ugly things which look rather like old monkey cages, but the sun conure aviary is very nice and looks very new (but is very bare inside). I'm guessing the monkeys are there more to attract the locals, while the endemic birds on the other side of the zoo are mainly for the foreigners while hopefully also educating the locals who visit to see the monkeys! Overall its a very nice little zoo that I did enjoy a lot, and if you're a bird person then the native section is heaven. Photos to be uploaded soon.
Thank you for sharing this comprehensive description, I love hearing about unusual and less well known zoos and only recently found out about this one.
species list for the zoo, for those who like this sort of thing: NATIVE BIRDS: Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus White-bellied goshawk Accipiter haplochrous (endemic) Whistling kite Haliastur sphenurus Kagu Rhynochetos jubatus (endemic) Cloven-feathered dove Drepanoptila holosericea (endemic) Red-bellied fruit-dove Ptilinopus greyii Emerald dove Chalcophaps indica White-throated (metallic) pigeon Columba vitiensis New Caledonian imperial pigeon Ducula goliath (endemic) New Caledonian parakeet Cyanoramphus saissetti (endemic) Horned parakeet Eunymphicus cornutus (endemic) Ouvea horned parakeet Eunymphicus uvaeensis (endemic) Rainbow lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Barn owl Tyto alba Sacred kingfisher Todiramphus sacra New Caledonia friarbird Philemon diemenensis (endemic) New Caledonian crow Corvus moneduloides (endemic) Striated starling Aplonis striata (endemic) Green-backed white-eye Zosterops xanthochroa (endemic) Red-throated parrotfinch Erythrura psittacea (endemic) Pacific black duck Anas superciliosa was on the zoo signage at the lakes but I expect these were resident wild birds, as with the purple gallinules and nankeen night herons. I was hoping that there would be crow honeyeaters (Gymnomyza aubryana) at the zoo as well but there was not. This is a very rare and elusive species which I was lucky enough to see in the wild at Riviere Bleue, but I couldn't get any photos of them. At Riviere Bleue there was a signboard displaying photographs of native birds, one of which was a crow honeyeater which was quite obviously taken in captivity, presumably at the Noumea Zoo. Whenever the photo was taken though, this species is no longer at the zoo. EXOTIC BIRDS: Ostrich Struthio camelus Domestic chinese goose Anser cygnoides Canada goose Branta canadensis Domestic muscovy duck Cairina moschata Carolina wood duck Aix sponsa Mallard Anas platyrhynchos is listed on the signage by the lakes Common peafowl Pavo cristatus - free-range Domestic fowl Gallus gallus - free-range Great argus Argusianus argus Lady Amherst's pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae Common ringneck pheasant Phasianus colchicus Reeves' pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii Silver pheasant Lophura nycthemera Eurasian white pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Scarlet ibis Eudocimus ruber Sacred ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus African spoonbill Platalea alba Grey-necked crowned crane Balearica regulorum Demoiselle crane Anthropoides virgo Japanese red-crowned crane Grus japonensis Flamingo spp Sun conure Aratinga solstitialis Yellow-shouldered amazon Amazona barbadensis Scarlet macaw Ara macao Green-winged macaw Ara chloroptera Military macaw Ara militaris Indian ringneck parakeet Psittacula krameri Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus Grand eclectus parrot Eclectus roratus vosmaeri Little corella Cacatua sanguinea Yellow-bibbed lory Lorius chlorocercus African grey parrot Psittacus erithacus Senegal parrot Poicephalus senegalus Fischer's lovebird Agapornis fischeri Peach-faced lovebird Agapornis roseicollis Pied imperial pigeon Ducula bicolor Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica African speckled pigeon Columba guinea - oddly there was an individual in the native walk-in aviary but no others anywhere else in the zoo Domestic ringneck dove Streptopelia risoria Great Indian hornbill Buceros bicornis Wrinkled hornbill Aceros corrugatus Yellow-and-red barbet Trachyphonus erythrocephalus Java sparrow Padda oryzivora Hill mynah Gracula religiosa There are no longer blue crowned pigeons, toco toucans, or (as far as I saw) black swans at the zoo, all of which were present in photos taken in c.1990 NATIVE MAMMALS: Ornate flying fox Pteropus ornatus New Caledonian flying fox Pteropus vetulus Pacific flying fox Pteropus tonganus EXOTIC MAMMALS: Geoffroy's spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi Black-capped capuchin Cebus apella Patas monkey Erythrocebus patas Pig-tailed macaque Macaca nemestrina Rusa Cervus timorensis REPTILES: Rhacodactylus leachianus Rhacodactylus sarasinorum Rhacodactylus ciliatus Rhacodactylus auriculatus Gehyra vorax Phoboscincus garnieri Pacific tree boa Candoia bibroni Eastern water dragon Physignathus lesueurii Green iguana Iguana iguana Radiated tortoise Astrochelys radiata Red-eared terrapin Trachemys scripta
all photos now uploaded. Most of what I mentioned in the review is now represented in the gallery. I didn't bother with photos of most of the exotic animals because we've all seen those before, but I tried to have as many of the native and endemic birds in there as possible. They're not all great photos because many of the aviaries were not really conducive to good photography (and some were simply impossible) but they're alright.
thank you chlidonias for posting the pictures and the report. ps: the sun conure aviary is indeed very nice, but putting any plants with them would be useless they would destroy them in minutes.
Thank you for this informative review and the photos. Now I'm even more desperate to go to New Caledonia one day...
As Chlidonias has reawoken the New Caledonian forum, I thought I would post this interesting (at least to me) snippet - Parc Zoologique et Forestier is now an associate member of ZAA (although I'm not sure when this began), and unlike other recent foreign associate members (i.e. the Singapore organisations) some of the Parc's listings are included in the regional census. I'm not quite sure how included species were determined, all mammals seem to be there, and there are a few bird and reptile listings but certainly not all of them - perhaps just the exotic species are listed. Regardless, its nice to see hornbills and a few other taxa now included in the region!
hmm, I seem to recall it has been in ZAA for quite a while but I may be mistaken. I know the Kula Eco-Park in Fiji has been in the ZAA (then ARAZPA) for many years, at least as far back as 2007 when I went there.
OK, I'm not sure how long its been a member for, but it has been for a year at least. The 2013 census is the first to include their listings though. Kula Eco-Park has been a member for ages, and have reported at least back to 2007.
I've been looking at what is held at the Noumea Zoo as of the end of last year, and the list is as follows. There is a species list from 2010 earlier in this thread, so for ease of comparison I arranged the list below in the same order. NATIVE BIRDS: (endemic species noted) *Greater Frigatebird (Fregata minor) *Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus nesiotes) *Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus vigilax) *White-bellied Goshawk (Accipiter haplochrous) (endemic) *Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) *Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) *Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) [presumably the native subspecies G. p. swindellsi] *Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) (endemic) *Cloven-feathered Dove (Drepanoptila holosericea) (endemic) *Red-bellied Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus greyii) *Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica chrysochlora) *White-throated (Metallic) Pigeon (Columba vitiensis hypoenochroa) *New Caledonian Imperial Pigeon (Ducula goliath) (endemic) *Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchii) *New Caledonian Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus saissetti) (endemic) *Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) (endemic) *Ouvea Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus uvaeensis) (endemic) *Barn Owl (Tyto alba lifuensis) *Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus canacorum) *New Caledonian Friarbird (Philemon diemenensis) (endemic) *New Caledonian Crow (Corvus moneduloides) (endemic) *Green-backed White-eye (Zosterops xanthochroa) (endemic) *Red-throated Parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) (endemic) EXOTIC BIRDS: *Ostrich (Struthio camelus) *(Domestic) Greylag Goose (Anser anser) *Chinese Goose (Anser cygnoides) *Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) *Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) *Carolina Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) *Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) *Great Argus (Argusianus argus) *Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) *Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) *Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) *Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) *Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) *Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) *Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) *African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) *Grey-necked Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) *Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) *Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo) *Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) *Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis) *Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) *Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) *Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) *Military Macaw (Ara militaris) *Indian Ringneck (Psittacula krameri) *Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) *Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) *Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) *Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) *Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus) *Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea) *Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) *African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) *Senegal Parrot (Poicephalus senegalus) *Masked Lovebird (Agapornis personatus) *Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) *Peach-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) *Pied Imperial Pigeon (Ducula bicolor [or maybe D. spilorrhoa]) *Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) *Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea) *Great Hornbill (Biceros bicornis) *Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) *Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora) *Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) NATIVE MAMMALS: *Ornate Flying Fox (Pteropus ornatus auratus) *Ornate Flying Fox (Pteropus ornatus ornatus) *New Caledonian Flying Fox (Pteropus vetulus) *Pacific Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus) EXOTIC MAMMALS: *Black-handed Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) *Black-capped Capuchin (Cebus apella) *Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas) *Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) *Donkey (Equus asinus) *Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa) *Rusa Deer (Cervus timorensis) *Domestic Goat (Capra hircus) NATIVE REPTILES: *Robust Forest Bavayia (Bavayia robusta) [a species of gecko] *New Caledonian Bumpy Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) *Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) *Leach's Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) *Sarasin's Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus sarasinorum) *Garnier's Giant Skink (Phoboscincus garnieri) *Pacific Island Boa (Candoia bibroni) EXOTIC REPTILES: *Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) *Common Iguana (Iguana iguana) *Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) *Mary River Turtle (Elusor macrurus) AMPHIBIANS: *Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
- At least one Kagu bred this year - 2 Bali mynas have left the nest-box : https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2962001993879090
It's been a while since I gave an update here. I will give the changes from the previous list (from 2013) first, and then post the whole species list. MAMMALS: Amongst the mammals the Donkey appears to no longer be there I think, and there are also domestic Rabbits in the farmyard which I hadn't listed before. Ring-tailed Lemurs were added four or five years ago (I think all males). Most of the zoo's other primates are old individuals (mostly being cast-offs from Australian and New Zealand zoos), but they are all still alive. All the native bat species listed earlier are still present. BIRDS: Additions for native birds are Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae forsteri (presumably a rescue bird); Brown Honeyeaters Lichmera indistincta; a South Melanesian Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina caledonica (since 2019); and Striated Starling Aplonis striata is being kept again after a gap of several years. Apparently some of the Purple Swamphens Porphyrio (porphyrio) melanotus at the zoo are also part of the captive collection. Native birds no longer present include the Great Frigatebird Fregata minor which was a rescue bird (from c.2014-2019). The single Ouvea Horned Parakeet Eunymphicus uvaeensis they had died in 2018. Cloven-feathered Dove Drepanoptila holosericea also doesn't seem to have been kept for several years now. Quite a lot of the exotic birds at the zoo are old single birds but only a few are no longer present, the main ones being the African Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea (which was an old single bird) and the Nicobar Pigeons Caloenas nicobarica (which were kept in a quite large group, so I don't know what happened to them). Others which haven't been listed for several years are the Carolina Wood Duck Aix sponsa, Lady Amherst's Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae, Australian King Parrot Alisterus scapularis, Masked Lovebird Agapornis personatus, and Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata. The only new exotic birds at the zoo are Bali Mynahs Leucopsar rothschildi and a pair of Victoria Crowned Pigeons Goura victoriae (all obtained in 2019). There are also domestic Turkeys Meleagris gallopavo in the farmyard which have been there for some years now. HERPTILES: In the reptile department, there are no longer the Common Iguana Iguana iguana (since 2018), Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus leseuerii (2019), or Mary River Turtle Elusor macrurus (c. 2015/2016). However there were additions in 2017 of a Carolina Box Turtle Terrapene carolina and an Amboina Box Turtle Cuora amboinensis, as well as (much more interestingly!) lots of endemic lizards. Some of these were singletons, others in larger groups for breeding. Pale-striped Bavayia (Sadlier's Gecko) Bavayia septuiclavis Deplanche's Shiny Skink Sigaloseps deplanchei Southern Litter Skink Caledoniscincus notialis Southern Whip-tailed Skink Tropidoscincus variabilis Tillier's Maquis Skink Phasmasaurus tillieri New Caledonian Leopard Skink Lacertoides pardalis Marble-throated Skink Marmorosphax tricolor Green-bellied Tree Skink Epibator nigrofasciolatum The native lizard species on the previous list (and the Pacific Boas) are all still kept as well. FULL SPECIES LIST: NATIVE BIRDS: (endemic species noted) *Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae forsteri) *Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus nesiotes) *Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus vigilax) *White-bellied Goshawk (Accipiter haplochrous) (endemic) *Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) *Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) *Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio (porphyrio) melanotus) *Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) [presumably the native subspecies G. p. swindellsi] *Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) (endemic) *Red-bellied Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus greyii) *Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps (indica) chrysochlora) *White-throated (Metallic) Pigeon (Columba vitiensis hypoenochroa) *New Caledonian Imperial Pigeon (Ducula goliath) (endemic) *Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchii) *New Caledonian Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus saissetti) (endemic) *Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) (endemic) *Barn Owl (Tyto (alba) javensis lifuensis) *Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus canacorum) *Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) *New Caledonian Friarbird (Philemon diemenensis) (endemic) *South Melanesian Cuckoo-Shrike (Coracina caledonica) *Striated Starling (Aplonis striata) (endemic) *New Caledonian Crow (Corvus moneduloides) (endemic) *Green-backed White-eye (Zosterops xanthochroa) (endemic) *Red-throated Parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) (endemic) EXOTIC BIRDS: *Ostrich (Struthio camelus) *(Domestic) Greylag Goose (Anser anser) *Chinese Goose (Anser cygnoides) *Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) *Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) *Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) *Great Argus (Argusianus argus) *Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) *Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) *Domestic Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) *Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) *Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) *Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) *Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) *African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) *Grey-necked Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) *Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) *Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo) *Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) *Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis) *Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) *Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) *Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) *Military Macaw (Ara militaris) *Indian Ringneck (Psittacula krameri) *Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) *Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus vosmaeri) *Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) *Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus) *Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea) *Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) *African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) *Senegal Parrot (Poicephalus senegalus) *Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) *Peach-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) *Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoriae) *Pied Imperial Pigeon (Ducula bicolor [or maybe D. spilorrhoa]) *Great Hornbill (Biceros bicornis) *Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) *Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi) *Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora) NATIVE MAMMALS: *Ornate Flying Fox (Pteropus ornatus auratus) *Ornate Flying Fox (Pteropus ornatus ornatus) *New Caledonian Flying Fox (Pteropus vetulus) *Pacific Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus) EXOTIC MAMMALS: *Black-handed Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) *Black-capped Capuchin (Cebus apella) *Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas) *Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) *Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) *Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa) *Rusa Deer (Cervus timorensis) *Domestic Goat (Capra hircus) *Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) NATIVE REPTILES: *New Caledonian Bumpy Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) *Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) *Leach's Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) *Sarasin's Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus sarasinorum) *Pale-striped Bavayia (Sadlier's Gecko) (Bavayia septuiclavis) *Robust Forest Bavayia (Bavayia robusta) *Deplanche's Shiny Skink (Sigaloseps deplanchei) *Southern Litter Skink (Caledoniscincus notialis) *Southern Whip-tailed Skink (Tropidoscincus variabilis) *Tillier's Maquis Skink (Phasmasaurus tillieri) *New Caledonian Leopard Skink (Lacertoides pardalis) *Marble-throated Skink (Marmorosphax tricolor) *Green-bellied Tree Skink (Epibator nigrofasciolatum) *Garnier's Giant Skink (Phoboscincus garnieri) *Pacific Island Boa (Candoia bibroni) EXOTIC REPTILES: *Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) *Carolina Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina ) *Amboina Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis) AMPHIBIANS: *Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
I managed to visit this facility early September and it is quite an impressive forest and bird park, though their mammal and reptile collection is definitely dwindling. It took around 4hrs including stops for food and dragging two young kids as the park is large with plenty of trails. The actual animal collection is quite small and could probably be seen in 2hrs with focus, assuming you weren't trying to spot the butterflies etc signed on the wilderness trails. The facility has a huge amount of potential and at times is stunning. It is situated on a hill overlooking Noumea town with plenty of good ocean views. It is heavily forested in parts, with several local biomes and plant collections to wander through as well as a solid ridge walk with amazing views. There is a really handsome boulevard on entry that leads down to a farm exhibit, with very loosely themed areas of native and Australasian bird and reptile species to the left (by far the most interesting section, do it first!) and to the right the forest park, 'African section' (very loose) as well as plenty of random aviaries. As Chlidonias mentioned, some of the aviaries are really odd and a few are positioned really poorly for viewing. I did like the aviary that had a walk-through tunnel in the middle that now houses Yellow-shouldered Amazons which the park has in abundance. Also fully agree with the comments above that the pathing is horrible. There are so many dead-ends, random exhibits in unassuming paths and maze-like sections (e.g. the native section) that I'm not confident at all we managed to see everything and the family got frustrated with backtracking etc. Alone with a spare day it would be fun but along with many things at this facility it would be awesome to see what could be achieved with a budget and good vision as the bones are excellent. The zoos collection of exotic mammals now includes just five Hamilton zoo born Black-handed Spider Monkeys, five Paris-born ringtailed lemurs, a single very infirmed Pig-tailed Macaque (not visible, apparently rarely leaved sleeping area) and the farmyard animal collection as described above. However, the Donkey mentioned above is still alive, born in 2002 and looking quite thin but otherwise active and well. Of the flying foxes, the New Caledonian Flying Fox was not signed or visible though we were rushing near the end of the trip and may have missed the exhibit. The Pacific flying fox exhibit was in a ridiculous location and i wasn't able to view them though they were signed. The reptiles are housed in a 'lane' which is done well. Looking at Chlidonias' list, there are no new species held and the following were no longer signed nor sighted (though it was 'winter'): *Sarasin's Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus sarasinorum) *Pale-striped Bavayia (Sadlier's Gecko) (Bavayia septuiclavis) *Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) *Deplanche's Shiny Skink (Sigaloseps deplanchei) *Southern Litter Skink (Caledoniscincus notialis) *Southern Whip-tailed Skink (Tropidoscincus variabilis) *Tillier's Maquis Skink (Phasmasaurus tillieri) *New Caledonian Leopard Skink (Lacertoides pardalis) *Marble-throated Skink (Marmorosphax tricolor) Given the park is mostly bird-focused I'll post an update about the bird collection separately.
The bird collection at the park is quite impressive given the location. I managed to find 34 aviaries and no doubt missed some as they are spread liberally throughout the park. There are also a number of open and semi-free ranging species as well as large ponds full of waterfowl. The park now houses just one elderly male ostrich and does not plan on replacing him when he passes (the zoo host seemed to think there were no plans to replace anything in the near future and the park was downsizing the collection). The park also has an aviary of sun conures (Ara. Solstitialis) as noted by Chlidonias, but these looked much more brilliantly coloured than any I have seen in NZ with a lot more orange plumage. Not sure if this is from the more suited climate or subspecies specific? Also, the park is phasing out Hornbills with only one elderly Wrinkled hornbill left. The greater flamingo flock held at least six individuals in an OK enclosure, apparently sourced from Japan. There was also a flock of hybrid Scarlet x Military macaws which were surprisingly attractive. There were a number of quirky aviaries that were old fashioned but not unattractive. Unfortunately, many were positioned on old paths or behind barriers that made viewing difficult particularly for kids. The Kagu walkthrough aviary noted above was easily the highlight, all three were busy, attractive, modern and maintained with excellent viewing but also plenty of hiding spaces for the birds. The strange dome-shaped aviary with the walkthrough cage passing through the middle was actually quite enjoyable and I've not seen anything like it elsewhere. Of the species noted by Chlidonias, there were some that I think may have had new signage. There were no Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) signed, but several aviaries held Grey eared honey eater Titi (lichmera inca inca). Similarly, the Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) are now signed for Tenebrosus pheasant (P. colchicus var. tenebrosus). Species that were not signed or sighted include: Native Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae forsteri) Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) Red-bellied Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus greyii) Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) (endemic) South Melanesian Cuckoo-Shrike (Coracina caledonica) Striated Starling (Aplonis striata) (endemic) Exotic Greylag Goose (Anser anser) Chinese Goose (Anser cygnoides) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Great Argus (Argusianus argus) Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo) Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloroptera) Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) Great Hornbill (Biceros bicornis) Species that were signed or sighted but not listed above include (unsure which are native/exotic): Grey eared honey eater titi (lichmera inca inca) Macaw Hybrid scarlet x Military pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa) Night heron (not further defined) Black cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) Tenebrosus pheasant (P. colchicus var. tenebrosus) Osprey fish hawk (Pandion haliaetus) Blue goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
